U.S. stocks ended May 2026 higher, reenergized by a stabilizing Middle East, a confirmed Fed chair, and stronger corporate earnings, with over 85% of S&P 500 companies reporting earnings-per-share growth above expectations. The inflation rate rose to 3.8% year over year. The S&P 500 gained 6.29% and is now up over 10% year to date. Market volatility was driven by continued global geopolitical shocks and the inflationary impact of higher energy prices. The Consumer Confidence Index fell to 93.1 in May, from a revised 93.8 in April, while existing home sales increased 0.2% to 4.02 million, highlighting the effect of the national average mortgage rate of over 6.5% on the traditionally busy spring housing market. SpaceX completed filings to go public on the Nasdaq as early as June 12 with the ticker symbol SPCX. It is targeting an initial public offering to raise $75 billion at a valuation of about $1.75 trillion. It would be the largest IPO in history.…